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BULLSEYE
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Forced distribution driving more
promotions for top performers
By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON — Results of the
first promotion board using the forced
distribution process were released May
25, highlighting a close connection be-
tween commander recommendations
and those selected for promotion.
“These results are achieving the in-
tended purpose of the new evaluation
and promotion systems we previewed
to our enlisted force during last year’s
roadshows,” said Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso,
the deputy chief of staff for manpower,
personnel and services. “Performance
assessment, along with input from su-
pervisors at all levels, is helping identify commanders would have a significant
and promote our top performers.”
The 5,019 technical sergeants selected
for promotion, out of 21,504 eligible,
represent an increase in the overall se-
lection rate of 23.3 percent compared to
last year’s rate of 22.4 percent. The selec- help alleviate concerns Airmen may have
tion rate to technical sergeant continues
to move closer to the historical average
of 24.2 percent selection rate following
the reduced rates associated with the
force management drawdown in 2014.
F-35, from page 1
off load any rolling stock deliveries. We
will also be able to have our vault in our
own building, which we currently do
not have. Also, in 2017 with the update
to our operating system we will also be
taking all the Pratt & Whitney F135 en-
gine parts into our inventory and build-
ing, and the space is much needed.”
The amenities that the new facility
provide will allow the Airmen of the
F-35 parts shop to accomplish their
missions, and with the growth of the
F-35 program, the 99th LRS had to fol-
low suit.
“The F-35 program is growing and
the Department of Defense is focusing
on the development of this airframe as
well as the F-35,” said Senior Airman Ri-
cardo S. Muñoz 99th LRS F-35 Aircraft
Parts Store journeyman. “Therefore,
our fleet is bound to increase in size
requiring a bigger warehouse to be able
to properly stock the necessary aircraft
parts to accomplish our mission.”
In accomplishing their mission,
the F-35 parts store works in close
conjunction with Lockheed Martin
to ensure that the system and process
run as smooth as possible, according
to Johnson.
“We work very closely with Lockheed
Martin,” said Larson. “We have our own
Lockheed Martin Field Service Repre-
News
Promotion recommendations had
a significant impact on promotion
selection. Ninety percent of Airmen
who received a “promote now” and 75
percent of the Airmen who received
a “must promote” were promoted to
master sergeant.
Additionally, and as intended, more
than 2,000 Airmen receiving a “pro-
mote” recommendation were also
selected for promotion — nearly 41 per-
cent of the 5,019 selected for promotion.
“We built the system to ensure Air-
men who received the highest pro-
motion recommendations from their
advantage, while also ensuring Airmen
who received a promote recommenda-
tion would remain competitive,” said
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James
A. Cody. “These results show us we’re
moving in the right direction, and should
had about not being promotable without
one of the top recommendations.”
Earlier this year, the Air Force con-
ducted and released the results of the
senior master sergeant and chief master
in our office and is our direct link and
helps us with anything that we need
from Lockheed Martin whether that be
help with a part or talking to an Item
Analyst. Our main F-35 warehouse is
managed by Lockheed Martin out at
Fort Worth, Texas.”
The pairing of the parts store and
Lockheed Martin runs deeper than only
an in-house service representative, with
the process of receiving and distributing
orders also being interwoven between
the two.
“Lockheed uses Autonomic Logistics
Information System, ALIS for short,
to order and receive parts. There are
different modules within ALIS, we use
Supply Chain Management (SCM) Dis-
tribution,” said Staff Sgt. Wendell Bel-
ford, 99th LRS F-35 Aircraft Parts Store
supervisor. “Aircraft Maintenance Unit
process orders in their module Com-
puterized Maintenance Management
System and it will talk to SCM. If the part
is in stock, we will pull it from the as-
signed location. If the part is not in stock,
a back order goes into the system. Then
Lockheed item mangers see it and send
the item to our parts store for processing.
Once processing is complete it releases to
the aircraft maintenance unit.”
ALIS itself is a unique Lockheed
Martin system, and plays an integral
part in the ordering and receiving of parts.
sergeant promotion boards, which were
the first to use restricted stratification.
Restricted stratification limited the
number of stratifications senior raters
could give to their master sergeant and
senior master sergeant promotion eli-
gible populations to the top 10 and 20
percent, respectively.
In March, 1,467 Airmen were se-
lected for promotion to senior master
sergeant at a 12.3 percent selection rate
– a significant increase from last year’s
rate of 8.75 percent. About 57 percent of
those with a stratification were selected,
while 5 percent of those without one
were selected. Overall, 32 percent of
all selects, about 470, did not receive a
stratification.
In November, 525 Airmen were se-
lected for promotion to chief master ser-
geant at a 20.8 percent overall selection
rate – also an increase from last year’s
rate of 18.9 percent. About 54 percent of
those with a stratification were selected,
while about 7 percent of those without
one were selected. Overall, 23 percent
of all selects, about 120, did not receive
a stratification.
through ALIS, which is a stand-alone
system that Lockheed Martin uses across
the entire F-35 program,” said Larson.
“There are different modules in ALIS,
maintenance has their own module that
they use to order the parts through, as we
have a different module in ALIS that we
use to manage the supply chain transac-
tions through.”
This system is a pivotal component
of the operation since there isn’t a part
of the F-35 that the shop doesn’t supply.
“We supply it all, from the equip-
ment used for testing to the on-switch,”
said Belford. “If it’s a part of the jet nine regular LRS and Maintenance Group
times out of 10 the part will come from
or through this new warehouse before
being installed.”
The new warehouse isn’t the only new
aspect of the career field that the 99th
LRS is looking to improve on, next on
the list is incorporating new aspects to
the school houses curriculum.
“I have been working with the Joint
Program Office doing an overall ALIS
training evaluation in conjunction
with maintenance, with our team’s
focus being on Supply Chain Manage-
ment,” said Larson. “The old syllabus
was very broad and offered a great
overview of ALIS as a whole, but didn’t
exactly help teach you what you would
be doing for your daily job in an F-35
warehouse. We are trying to tailor the
3June 10, 2016
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“The results clearly highlight the
positive effects forced distribution and
restricted stratification have on our
enlisted evaluation and promotion
systems,” Cody said. “Job performance
remains the most important factor when
considering Airmen for promotion, and
our top performers now have the advan-
tage toward promotion they deserve.”
To view the 2016 promotion selection
lists, visit the myPers enlisted promo-
tion page. For more information about
Air Force personnel programs go to the
myPers website at https://mypers.af.mil.
sentative, Donald Hansen, who works “All the parts are ordered and received course more to what would actually
happen on a daily basis, different types
of scenarios or errors that are com-
mon to come across, so that as young
Airmen, Marines or Sailors come out
of this course, they are more prepared
in what to expect in working in a F-35
warehouse as it is very different than
what we are used to seeing because of
using ALIS.”
Adding this to the syllabus will serve
new Airmen arriving in the F-35 shop
well considering the differences between
their shop and a regular LRS location.
“Our job is a bit different than the
mission in the sense that we use a unique
supply system dedicated solely to F-35,”
said Johnson. “This makes the trans-
parency of our mission unique because
the rest of base supply cannot see in the
supply system what we do on a day to
day basis. The F-35 is the newest jet and
therefore the supply process for this jet is
still relatively new. We are basically the
first Air Force supply personnel working
with this new system and have to deal
with the problems that come with it be-
ing relatively new.”
All of these changes being made to
not only the location of the F-35 Aircraft
Parts Store, but also what is taught to
Airmen at the school house, will make
it that much easier for Nellis AFB to ac-
complish their pivotal mission.